FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 5-50
ARMOR CLASS: 2
MOVE: 60"
HIT DICE: 1 hp
% IN LAIR: 50%
TREASURE TYPE: (see below)
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1 HP
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil (see below)
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil (see below)
MAGIC RESISTANCE: (see below)
INTELLIGENCE: Very low
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: 1" to 2" (beetle size)
LEVEL/XP VALUE: <?>

His shield held in front of him with 1 hand, a 
torch raised aloft in his other, Murphy proceeded 
cautiously around the corner. "This stretch of corridor 
seems too quiet," he thought to himself, 
however he could think of nothing else to do but 
push forward. 

A faint whining sound came up the corridor and 
an instant later something whizzed by his head, 
followed by another and another. Suddenly the air 
was full os speeding projectiles. 2 or 3 hit his 
torch and tore it from his fingers. one struck him arm 
a stinging blow, numbing his hand. Then they were 
hitting him all over. Protecting his face he reeled 
back around the corner. 

"What the hell," he muttered under his breath, 
"was that?" 

*    *    *

Murphy has just encountered the dreaded
Coleoptera Conflagratio Amotensia, colloquially
known as the whiz-bang for the noise of its airborne
attack.

Unusually speedy dungeon creatures, whizbang
beetles love fire and smoke. It’s this attraction
that makes them dangerous to run into, as they will
be compelled to throw themselves at the source of
a flame. Whiz-bang beetles will attack fire sources
at a range from their hive that is determined by the
size of the fire source. Some of these ranges are
given below:
 

SIZE OF FIRE	RANGE FROM HIVE
5' diameter pool of oil	200'
Torch or lantern	70'
Candle	30'
Pipe or cigarette	10'

The larger the fire, the more beetles it is likely to 
attract. When beetles are drawn, a roll is made to 
determine the number appearing. each beetle then 
rolls to hit. All successful hits automatically do 1 
point of damage. Most beetles will hit near the AREA 
ov the fire but some will be as far as 5' off course 
randomly striking surrounding objects.

Burrowing into dungeon walls by repeatedly 
throwing themselves at it, whiz-bang beetles form 
hives, usually at the end of a corridor stretch (so 
they can get a run at it), although they have been 
known to dig into pillars with an entrance on either 
side. The entrance hole is usually 3" to 4" in 
diameter. 

Inside the hive there is a 75% chance fo finding 
1 to 6 ounces of whiz-bang "honey". This honey has 
some very unusual properties. Roll percentile 
dice to determine its effect.
-

01 to 25	No effect
26-75	1 oz. will give 1 person double speed for 1 turn.
76-90	1 oz. will give 1 person double speed for 1 turn plus 1 side effect for the next turn*
91-00	1 oz. will give 1 person 1 side effect for 1 turn with no increase in speed

* side effects can include such things as half-speed, 
alignment change, explosive indigestion, food poisoning, etc. 

Whiz-bang beetles can usually (75%) be subdued 
if found in their hive and kept from seeing 
light. In order to keep them alive outside the hive 
they must be 1 oz. of Whiz-bang honey per 50 
beetles per day. In this manner they can be kept for 
up to 2 weeks. Queens cannot be removed from 
the hive without killing them. 

MAGICK
Whiz-bang beetles will attack magick fire sources 
only 25% of the Time. Magick attacks upon them will 
also be successful only 25% of the Time, plus 5% 
per level of wizard. 

DESCRIPTION
Whiz-bang beetles are 1" to 2" in length with 
2 transparent wings on either side of their bony, 
bullet-shaped body. Their dark color (grey to black) 
makes them hard to spot in a dimly lit dungeon. 
Queen beetles are twice that size and light 
grey or white in color. 

XP
Being fairly low level creatures, Whiz-bang 
beetles are worth 1 point of experience each for all 
avoided or captured beetles. Whiz-bang honey is 
worth up to 100 GP per oz. to Alchemists if it is to
be sold. 
-

Dragon magazine

MM

-

Dragon #28

1st Edition AD&D